Solu can operate as a standalone device, much like a smartphone, or connect to a display and keyboard for more functions.

Content gets automatically backed-up on a multi-gigabyte local cache on Solu’s cloud system that works on the proprietary SoluOS operating system. There’s no in-app purchases or limit to the storage.

I’m attracted to this. The whole thing needs better execution, but there are ideas here that feel unique. The UI isn’t pretty, but it’s foreign in a way that challenges perception.

Separating content (movie, image, webpage, etc) from control feels good too, and I think that’s because we’ve been obsessed with the marriage of content and control as a UI accomplishment. But the more I think about it, the more I begin to feel like that union isn’t ideal. When you separate the two, the movie becomes the movie, and the controls become the controls. It’s not a heavy conclusion, but it feels big to me in terms of the design of a UI.